


MUTTATION

by jamiesommers



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, Terminator (Movies), Terminator - All Media Types, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-31
Updated: 2015-06-07
Packaged: 2018-04-01 22:59:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 18,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4037803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jamiesommers/pseuds/jamiesommers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Terminator/THG fic written for Movies in the Month of May<br/>Peeta Mellark must go back to the past to protect the rebel leader's mother, Katniss Everdeen, from a Capitol bred killing machine who has been disguised as a man.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to my wonderful editors and friends for correcting my errors (and there are usually a lot of them), keeping me inspired, talking through plot lines, figuring out timelines, and keeping me sane. These ladies have been a blessing to me: Ab (my person and pretty much the most amazeballs human being I know), Broadway Baby (Ruler of the universe. The line forms here to kiss her ring), T$ (my sister in all things Italian and Puerto Rican cooking), L (Brain the Overlord. I bow down to you.), Racy-T (The 8th dwarf who always makes me smile), and PBJ (Coffee Queen with the biggest heart). Thank you so very much, my darling girls. Having you all in my life gives me a sense of stability when my men (and dogs) drive me to the brink of insanity.

[](http://tinypic.com?ref=2pzza6v)

 

**MUTTATION**

 

 

**The Capitol - December 24th, 2216**

 

The piercing cries of lives lost and gunfire erupted in sickening harmony as the rebel leader secured the soldier inside of the time displacement chamber. Stepping over one of six dead bodies in the room, the leader punched in a series of letters and numbers and aimed the vocal modulator towards the computer. Although it was the rebel leader speaking, it was the president’s second in command, Seneca Crane’s, voice that said, “Let the games begin,” bringing the time displacement chamber to life.

 

“Now!” The rebel leader cried, signaling the others to get to work.

 

Two soldiers held an unconscious Crane’s palms flat against the computer panel while two others held his head upright and his eyelids open. A green light scanned Crane’s pupils while the console glowed and read his palms.

 

“Come on. Come on,” the rebel leader mumbled as the computer took precious seconds to confirm that Seneca’s vital signs were normal.

 

Satisfied, the computer moved on to the second stage of identification and the soldier listened from his position inside of the chamber as the computer announced Crane’s vitals aloud, “DNA scan, complete. Heart Rate: 74 beats per minute. Temperature: 37 degrees, Celsius. Respiratory: 16 breaths per minute. Blood pressure: 116 over 69.” Three seconds passed as the computer came to its final conclusion, “Head Gamemaker, Seneca Crane, identity and life signs confirmed.”

 

The soldier could hear the computer from his position inside of the time displacement chamber, and wondered what his own vitals would read if it checked his stats. The way his heart was racing in anticipation, he was sure the computer would have deemed him unfit for travel. Fortunately _his_ life signs weren’t the ones in question.

 

With his arms and knees digging painfully into his chest, the powerful current ripped through the soldier’s veins; making him feel as though the marrow in his bones had been replaced with molten lava. The agonizing pressure in his chest had him gritting his teeth so tightly, he thought they’d shatter like broken glass. Just as he convinced himself this wasn’t going to work – that he was being boiled from the inside out – cool, night air filled him with life, a bright, white light blinded him, and his naked body crashed violently down to the ground.

 

~ ~ ~

 

**Albany, New York – Wednesday, September 27, 2186**

 

 

The familiar squeak of rubber soles against marble echoed through the empty fourth-floor hallway of the New York State Capitol building. The end of her ten and a half hour workday had finally come, and not a moment too soon. Every muscle in Katniss Everdeen’s body ached as she swiped her badge and unlocked the stairwell maintenance workers were required to use. How she wished this one night she could take the elevator to the basement where the employee lockers were. Glancing towards one of the security cameras that monitored the lift, Katniss remembered the whispers in the locker room when one of her pregnant co-workers, Lavinia, went into labor and used the elevator in lieu of the stairs. Not only was Lavinia fired for unauthorized use of government property, but it was done before she gave birth six hours later.

 

 

With her shoulders slumped in exhaustion, Katniss melted into the group of people trudging down the stairs, staring at their feet. Most nights when she made this trek, she held her spine ramrod straight and her head high, but she had yet to acclimate herself to her recently extended work schedule.

 

For a split second she entertained the idea of quitting her job and going back home to West Virginia, but that was all it took for her chin to jerk upright and her shoulders to square off. Granted, she didn’t have the best job in the world, but at least she wasn’t trapped underground in the same coalmine her father was killed in. Her only other employment alternative was to go into naturalistic healing like her mother and sister, Primrose, but the truth was, Katniss would rather clean the toilets of government officials than treat the wounded that showed up at her mother’s door.

 

It had been three weeks since she had spoken to her family, and their next scheduled call wouldn’t be for another few days. “I’ll have to send them extra coal and food rations,” she murmured to herself, then took her jacket from her locker and shoved her arms into the worn coat. For some, sending extra rations was easy. All they had to do was use the Capitol’s National Ration Network, but the closest Automated Rationing Machine, or ARM, near her home town was thirty miles away from her family and too far to walk. She’d have to go to an ARM tonight and withdraw the vouchers in order to get them on the morning train. “Great,” she grumbled to herself as she broke free from the group of coworkers headed for the evening transport.

 

 

September had been exceptionally warm this year, but tonight there was a chill and Katniss could smell the crisp scent of fall in the air. She missed this time of year back home.

 

When she was little, her father would take her to the small hut they built in the woods. They’d spend the last days of summer fishing in the lake, and storing up on the last of the greens they foraged for. Lord how she missed those carefree days. Sitting around the fire, roasting whatever edible roots they had dug up, and small game they had shot that day.

 

During those days, her father had taught her how to identify the plants around them, how to live off of the land, but most importantly he taught her the difference between hunting for sport and hunting for a purpose. “ _To take a life, simply because you have the ability to do so, is cowardly, Katniss. There are many people in this world that would give all they had for a piece of meat, or fresh berries. Don’t take your ability to hunt, or the animals in these woods, for granted. One day we could be the ones dying of starvation like those left in Asia_.”

 

While Katniss stood in line at the ARM she took in the homeless men, women and children huddled beneath the elevated train tracks, and thought to herself, _If you could see it now, dad. It’s not as bad as Asia used to be before they were “cleansed,” but it’s pretty damn close_.

 

There were only five people ahead of Katniss at the ARM, thank goodness. She didn’t feel like having to wait an extra half an hour for a transport. If these people would hurry, she could make the one that would be stopping up the street in the next few minutes. Alternating between looking at her watch and the person in front of the Automated Ration Machine, Katniss counted down the minutes until she’d get home. She went through her mental checklist for the night: deduct rations for Mom and Prim from her account, catch the 1:40 a.m. transport, stop at the vending machine and hope there was still something left for a late… The hair on the back of her neck stood at alert before she could finish her thought. Her eyes darted from side to side in search of trouble, but nothing seemed out of order.

 

She was the next in line. In front of her was a guy she worked with. Jim? Brad? Behind her was… _Trouble_ , she thought to herself. Though she couldn’t put her finger on the reason her self-defense alarm went off, she could sense that the person behind her – most likely a man from the amount of wind he blocked – was standing just a little too close for comfort. She had a couple of choices. Forget about the ration vouchers and strike up a conversation with… “Thom,” she said just loud enough to have the guy standing at the ARM glance up from the machine and look around for the person that called his name. She considered putting an elbow in the gut of the guy behind her and telling him to back off.

 

If the guy behind her got any closer, Katniss would forget her errand for the evening, and make a new friend in Thom, but the stranger didn’t move a muscle when she took her place in front of the machine. Before she pressed her index finger on the identification pad, she glanced behind her at the guy that had made her feel crowded. He was of medium build and had dark blond hair, but she imagined with a good washing it would turn a shade or two lighter. His jaw was strong and dappled with even darker stubble, and his eyes were a piercing shade of blue. Their glances locked for a few seconds, and then Katniss told herself she was being ridiculous. He was just another Capitol worker trying to take care of his business.

 

It took her less than three minutes to withdraw the rations from her account, tuck the vouchers into a zippered pocket inside of her jacket, and head towards the transport stop. She glanced at the ARM then back at the two people in line, both of whom were women. “Where did he go?” She whispered as she looked all around her. The dirty haired blond had vanished into thin air. A sense of relief flowed through her at his sudden absence. Though he looked harmless enough, with a month’s supply of food and coal vouchers in her pocket, Katniss didn’t trust anyone, least of all strange men with brooding blue eyes who had no clue what personal space meant. She wouldn’t feel truly at ease until she was safely seated on the transport. No one in their right mind would try anything on a government-owned piece of property.

 

She waited in yet another line for a few minutes before her ride arrived. Once seated, she blew out a sigh of relief, and rested her head against the darkened window. Ten more minutes and she’d be home. Maybe she’d forget about buying something from the vending machine she passed on her way home after all.

 

It wasn’t until she had gotten off the transport and was twenty-five yards away from her housing unit that she noticed the sound of footsteps coming from behind. The unsettling feeling came back full force as she picked up momentum, but the footsteps behind her matched her pace, growing faster…louder. It would only be a matter of seconds before they’d catch up to her.

 

Deciding that she’d rather overreact and run for her unit than be robbed, Katniss pumped her legs and took off towards the gated entrance. Pressing the flat of her hand against the palm reader, the lock on the gate released.

 

The stranger that had been behind her in the ARM line shoved his shoulder between the heavy bars on the gate and the doorway, and grabbed her by the shoulders.

 

“LET ME GO!” Katniss yelled as she tried to release herself from his grasp.

 

“I’m here to help you,” his words quickly tumbled out. “I’m Peeta Mellark. Sargeant, Tech-Com. DN38415. I’ve been assigned to protect you. You’ve been targeted for termination, Katniss.” The sound of her name coming from his lips had her wondering if they had crossed paths before that night.

 

“YOU’RE CRAZY!” Katniss thrust her knee into his gut and kicked at his crumpled form until she could slam the gate closed. “Get out of here before I call the police,” her entire body was trembling as she backed away from him.

 

“You don’t understand,” Peeta gasped as he got to all fours and tried to catch the breath she knocked out of him. “It’s coming for you, Katniss.”

 

“And _you_ don’t understand,” with her hand reaching towards the emergency alarm that signaled the police, Katniss felt a rush of courage. “If you don’t get the hell out of here, and I mean right now, I’ll pull this damn lever and watch as your ass gets dragged in for assault of a government worker.”

 

“K. Everdeen,” Peeta got to his feet but held his hands up in a defenseless gesture, “Maine. Murdered in her sleep forty-six hours ago. Katherine Everdeen, Rhode Island. Her throat slashed thirty-one hours ago.”

 

“That’s it,” Katniss had heard enough. With one hard yank, she pulled on the alarm which should have caused a blaring horn and bright lights to flash on, but nothing happened.

 

“I’m not lying to you, Katniss,” Peeta backed away before the authorities took him into custody. “If you don’t believe me, ask the Peacekeepers when they get here. They’ll tell you.”

 

This lunatic must have thought Katniss pulled a silent alarm, because he was stumbling backwards and looking over his shoulder as he called out to her. “K. Everdeen. Maine. Katherine Everdeen. Rhode Island,” and then he turned and ran.

 

~ ~ ~

 

**Albany, New York – Thursday, September 28, 2186**

 

It had been twenty-four hours since Peter, at least that’s what Katniss thought he said his name was, had given her a warning. She should have gone to the police that night, but the fake alarm system told Katniss exactly where the people from her class ranked in the eyes of the authorities. Besides, inviting them into her housing unit could be asking for trouble. Once inside, they could take notice of all the contraband her neighbors had in their dwellings like homemade liquor, family heirlooms, or extra rations. Though none of those things were officially illegal, they were asking to be “confiscated until verified” by the authorities – which translated into, you’ll never see it again – and Katniss didn't want to be the cause of a spontaneous raid no matter how life-threatening a situation she were thrust into. Instead she chose to strike up a conversation with Thom on her way to and from work the next day, just in case. Fortunately she entered her housing unit without once laying her eyes upon Peter.

 

The second she locked the door behind her in her one room unit, Katniss went for the locked box with the false bottom she used to send her mother and Prim rations, regretting that she hadn’t sent them out that morning.

 

The creaking of the floor behind her had her turning on her heels and swinging the metal box in protection.

 

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Peeta said while standing perfectly still. “I swear it. My job is to protect you.”

 

“How the hell did you get in here?” Katniss fumbled through the closest drawer and pulled out the knife she kept for protection.

 

“These locks are easy to hack,” Peeta sat on a threadbare chair against the wall.

 

“If you don’t leave, I’ll call the police again,” Katniss hoped her warning would be enough.

 

“Considering the Peacekeepers didn’t even show up last night, you go right ahead,” Peeta said smugly. “Of course, I’d trust a Peacekeeper about as much as a Mutt.”

 

“Peacekeeper?”

 

“Sorry.” He corrected his terminology, “The police.”

 

“Why don’t we give them a call and then see whether or not they can be trusted?” She countered.

 

“Or, you could let me explain why I’m here, and then I’ll leave.”

 

“You’ll leave?” That was the last thing she expected to hear. “I don’t believe you.”

 

He gave his head a shake, “She said you’d be hard to convince.”

 

“Who?”

 

Peeta sat silent for a moment, then decided he may as well get it all out now. “Your daughter.”

 

With a huff of crazed laughter, Katniss said, “You’ve got the wrong woman, Peter.”

 

“Uh,’ not ‘er.’”

 

“What?”

 

“It’s Peet _a_ not Pet _er_.”

 

“Great, now I’ll know what name to give the police,” Katniss said snidely while holding the knife out in front of her. “Now get the hell out of my unit.”

 

He had no clue how to get through to her. He was fairly certain she wasn’t going to kill him with that knife, but then again she was the rebel leader’s mother. “Listen,” he stood slowly and held his hands up. “I’m not going to hurt you, I swear it. But you have to listen to me.” His eye twitched when she stared at him with enough disdain to freeze his blood. “You’re in terrible danger, Katniss.”

 

“And how the hell do you know my name?” This fact seemed to piss her off more than his warning did.

 

“Because your daughter told me.”

 

“Right. My daughter,” she said dryly.

 

“Katniss Everdeen born to Evelyn and Clay Everdeen in Panhandle coal mining community located in northern West Virginia. Sister Primrose—”

 

Hearing Prim’s name pushed Katniss over the edge and she lunged for Peeta with her teeth bared and the knife firmly in her grip, but he was too fast and wrestled her to the ground. “How do you know my sister?” Katniss grunted while struggling beneath the weight of him.

 

“I told you,” Peeta freed the knife from her grip and tossed it to the side. “Your daughter entrusted me with it.”

 

“And I told you, I don’t have a daughter.”

 

“Not yet, but you will.”

 

"I see. You're predicting the future."

 

"These aren't predictions. These are facts!"

 

"Is that so? Well how the hell do you know they're facts since it hasn't happened yet?"

 

"Because I was there!"

 

The room went quiet but for the sound of their breathing until Katniss said, "So you're from the future then?"

 

"One very possible future," his voice was grim. With his body holding her down, and her wrists pinned by the sides of her head, Peeta spoke with urgency in his voice. “I should have waited until the Mutt made a move on you, but I couldn’t risk it.” It was really the only way to know what the enemy looked like. “I know this is going to sound crazy, but you’ve got to hear me out.” When Katniss remained silent, Peeta took it as a sign to continue. “President Snow of Panem has sent a Muttation to terminate all females, last name Everdeen, first initial K.”

 

“Panem? Muttation? What the hell are you—“

 

“Listen to me,” Peeta snapped, desperate to fill Katniss in on their bleak future . “In a few months this country as you know it will no longer exist. Canada, Mexico, and America will form one nation and it’ll be called Panem. Shortly after, the country will be sectioned into thirteen districts, each one with their own product designation. Fishing – District Four. Lumber – District Seven. Agriculture – District Eleven.” Peeta pierced her with his stare, “Coal – District Twelve, or as you know it now, West Virginia. The weak will be weeded out. Asian flu,” Peeta said with disgust. “The breakout will take the lives of the elderly, handicapped...anyone that can’t pull their own weight. That’s when the government decides to ban all travel between districts. No one will be allowed to travel unless they’re a government official or for occupational purposes.”

 

“I don’t understand,” Katniss stopped fighting when he mentioned Asia. “You mean the flu that wiped out the last of Asia, will come here?” Hadn’t she just been thinking about that? About the “cleansing” the leaders of the rest of the world had called it when they fired nuclear weapons at Asia and destroyed every life form?

 

“No. Not exactly,” Peeta rolled off of her and sat back on his haunches. “That’s what everyone thinks, but it’s the government, Katniss. They’re the ones that infect people with a chemically engineered strain.” He let out a deep breath. “I’m not too good with the dates and all, but a year after Panem is formed, it’s discovered that its leaders were responsible for the breakout. By then the citizens of the districts will be nothing more than overworked, underpaid slaves. There will be a food and coal shortage,” Peeta said angrily, “but not for those that live in the Capitol.” He turned to face her, “You see this entire country will work just to keep the rich well fed and entertained.”

 

Too curious about the story Peeta was weaving, Katniss failed to notice that she was no longer being held in place. “So where do I come into play here? Why is the president trying to kill me? And his name isn’t Snow.”

 

“Not the one running the country now, but the man that eventually takes control, is Corianalous Snow. And the reason he’s trying to kill you is because you give birth to the woman that takes the Capitol down and leads the rebels to victory.”

 

That statement quickly reminded Katniss that this Peeta guy was insane. “I think you should leave,” she inched towards the corner of the room where the knife lay.

 

“The districts lose the first war. We call that time period the Dark Days, and as a form of punishment, the Capitol creates the Hunger Games. One boy and one girl from each district have to fight till the death in a specially designed arena.” Katniss froze in place. “They call them Tributes.” Peeta’s eyes flashed towards the knife, but he didn’t move. Thoughts of the Games were going through his mind. “Your daughter is reaped at the age of sixteen, but she challenges the Capitol at every turn while in the arena, until eventually….she’s the last one standing.” His voice cracked a little. “The Victor.”

 

With one quick lunge, Katniss grabbed hold of the knife Peeta had tossed aside and took a defensive position; jabbing and poking the air in front of her as a threat to him. “You’re nuts! Now get the hell out!”

 

All Peeta could think was, _I should have waited until the Muttation attacked_. _Then she’d have seen it with her own two eyes._ “I’m going,” he stood and turned towards the door. “There’s just one more thing.”

 

“No. There are no more things! GO!”

 

“Communications are still open with other districts—“

 

“States!” Katniss corrected vehemently.

 

“Fine. States. If you have a way to find out about the other K Everdeens, do it. You’ll see, I’m not lying, Katniss.”

 

“Considering you said my daughter sent you here, I’m going to have to disagree.”

 

“I did this all wrong,” he mumbled to himself. “If I had waited until it attacked, you’d see it for yourself. You’d know I wasn’t lying.”

 

“GET THE HELL OUT!” She jumped closer to him, wielding the knife towards him, but not hitting him. She only wanted to scare him, but she was the one that grew even more frightened when he grabbed her by the wrists and held her in place.

 

“It _is_ coming for you, Katniss. The only reason it hasn’t killed you yet is because someone erased your files from the system. Your prints, your DNA, your full name…all of it… gone before Panem came to be. All the Capitol knew was your last name and your first initial, but believe me, that won’t stop a Mutt. It _will_ find you,” Peeta’s voice dropped down to a low menacing warning. “And it _will_ kill you.” He dropped her hands just hard enough to have the knife fall from her grip and then he was gone.

 

 

**Albany, New York – Friday, September 29, 2186**

 

Katniss entered her job still thinking about Peeta’s visit. Was there a way to find out about these other women he claimed were murdered? There had to be. She could stop by police headquarters, but would they give her information? Would they even know what was going on in a different part of the country? As Katniss waved her badge to grant her access to her job, she stopped short and thought, _You’re losing your mind, Katniss. You’re actually giving this Peeta guy’s story credence?_ Shaking her head and wiping Peeta from her mind she went to pick up her day’s work assignment.

 

As she looked around the room she noticed the uneasy expression on her supervisor’s face and the white uniformed man and woman standing at attention next to her.

 

The procedure was the same every day. Enter the room, listen for your ID number to be called, and leave as soon as you’re given your designation, but today Katniss’ supervisor started by calling out, “67135, to the front.”

 

Without glancing at the two official looking people dressed in white, Katniss stood with her shoulders squared in front of her supervisor waiting for instructions.

 

“This is employee 67135. These two have some questions for you,” her supervisor stated. “Head to the basement offices when you’re through.”

 

Katniss followed the two officials wishing the nerves in her stomach would calm down.

 

“Just to confirm,” the man asked when they were in a room full of desks and computers. “You are Katniss Everdeen?”

 

“Why do you want to know?” Katniss was automatically on the defense.

 

“Just answer the question,” the female snapped in a chirpy voice before adding, “please, Miss Everdeen.”

 

With narrowed eyes Katniss answered, “Yes. That’s me.” But she refused to be bullied for no reason, so she countered, “Now, who are _you_ , and why do you want to know who I am?”

 

“We are a new division in the government that handles…certain sensitive situations,” the woman answered.

 

“Like?” Katniss asked.

 

“Like,” the woman spoke sharply, “serial killers.”

 

It had been more than a decade since Katniss had heard of a serial killer being on the loose. According to the news reports, crime of any kind was at an all-time low. Though Katniss knew for a fact that was a load of crap. She had overheard many stories in the locker-room about thefts in the government housing units. The reason crime was at an all-time low was because no one reported them. Nothing would get done anyway unless you were rich or a government official.

 

“Do you know either of these women?” The man slid two photos in front of Katniss. One of a teenage girl with red hair and freckles, the other a middle aged woman with gray streaked hair pulled sharply back into a bun.

 

“Never seen them before,” Katniss answered.

 

“How about her?” The man slid a picture of a young girl with soft blond hair, dark brown eyes, and a perfectly sculpted nose, in front of Katniss. It was easy to see the girl came from money just by the way she held herself. Unlike the other two, the third girl lacked that look of defeat in her eyes.

 

“No. Never,” Katniss answered.

 

“Are you certain?” The woman held the photos out to her with a perfectly manicured hand. “Maybe you should take a closer look.”

 

“I don’t need to take a closer look. I don’t know any of them,” Katniss eyed up the woman in white, noticing how heavily made up she was. She was wearing a crisp uniform and Katniss was fairly certain her hair had either been shellacked into place or the lady was wearing a wig. “Who are they?” Katniss asked. The two officials exchanged an unreadable glance, which Katniss chose to ignore. Whatever was going on here, she wanted no part of it. “Look, if there isn’t anything else, I really need to get to work.”

 

The officials seemed to be having a private conversation with their expressions until finally the woman said, “This is Katherine Everdeen,” she slid the picture of the middle age woman closer to Katniss. “This is Karen Everdeen,” again she pushed the picture closer to Katniss only this time it was of the teenage red head. “Both of these women have been _violently_ murdered.”

 

“Aren’t all murders violent?” Katniss said to the woman sarcastically and noticed the way she pursed her lips in displeasure.

 

Ignoring Katniss’ comment the official continued, “As of an hour ago, Kristen Everdeen of Danbury, Conneticut, has also been found dead.” She tapped her perfectly manicured nail against the pretty blonde’s photo, and Katniss’ heart began to pulsate in her throat. “We have no idea who’s doing this, but according to our records, whoever it is, is going in order.”

 

“In order?” Katniss asked, her voice trembling.

 

After a brusque nod from the woman, the man sat at one of the computer consoles in the room and pulled up a screen. Katniss watched as his fingers moved rapidly across the letters and numbers taking notice of a few of them. Within seconds they were all staring at a map of the United States with a list of names below it.

 

“See this here,” the man pointed to a black line across the country with several green dots and three red ones. “This is the path we think he or she is taking.”

 

The first thing that popped into Katniss’ mind was “It.” Peeta had referred to the killer as, “It” and “Mutt.”

 

“As near as we can figure, right now this person is going from east to west killing off women with the last name Everdeen."

 

"First initial K," Katniss said under her breath; paying no attention to the private looks the duo was sharing.

 

Was it possible the reason Peeta knew about these women was because he was the serial killer they were looking for? But he only knew about the first two. There was one way to find out. Katniss’ chest felt tight when she asked, "When were they killed?”

 

She listened intently as the man held up the photo of the young red haired girl, "Karen Everdeen, just about three days ago. “Katherine," he held up the picture of the middle aged woman, "day before yesterday. And this one," he held up the picture of the third woman, "last night between midnight and 3am.”

 

Katniss felt a sigh of relief when she heard him say that. It’s not that she believed Peeta’s story, but the idea of him being a serial killer didn’t sit right with her. He seemed hell bent on protecting her for some odd reason. In fact, he had every opportunity to kill her, yet he hadn’t.

 

“Miss Everdeen?” The woman was speaking in a crisp, concise tone. “Miss Everdeen!”

 

“I’m sorry,” Katniss cleared her exceptionally dry throat. “I…I didn’t hear what you said.”

 

“I said,” the woman held her head up; “I am here to escort you to protective custody.”

 

“No,” Katniss said quickly. “I’ll be fine. Thank you,” she added on at the last second.

 

“Miss Everdeen, I do not think you realize the danger you could be in.”

 

“I said, I’ll be fine.” Katniss stood tall, squared her shoulders and said, “I can take care of myself. Now, if you don’t mind. I need to get to work.”

 

“Surely you don’t want to risk your life?” The woman said, aghast.

 

“I told you, I can take care of myself,” Katniss stood firm in her decision. Right now she wasn’t sure who she could trust.

 

Though it seemed as though Katniss personally offended the woman in white, she reluctantly agreed. “As you wish.” The woman pulled out a small phone and pushed a series of buttons. In an instant a tiny slip of paper came out with a name and number printed on it. “However, if you notice anyone suspicious lurking about, feel as though you’re in peril, or simply change your mind, I can be reached at this number from any phone. Day or night.” She gave it a beat before adding, “No charge to your communication rations.”

 

“Thanks,” Katniss slipped it into her front pocket and watched as the man shut the window on the computer terminal down and the map of possible victims disappeared.

 

Though the woman was hesitant about leaving Katniss alone, she felt as though she must issue a warning. “Please. Be careful, Miss Everdeen,” she spoke with enough concern in her tone that Katniss almost changed her mind.

 

The instant the door closed, and Katniss was alone in the room, she sunk down into a chair and let out a shaky breath. “Oh my God,” her voice was reedy and thin. “This can’t be happening.” Pressing her trembling fingers to her forehead she looked to the door then towards the computer.

 

It had been at least three years since she had touched a computer and the ones at her high school were nowhere near as advanced as the ones in the Capitol. She was desperate to look at that map and the list of names that appeared below it again. Were they all K Everdeen? Before Katniss could change her mind, she swiped her finger across the screen and opened the drop down menu. “History…history…” she mumbled to herself as she scanned it as quickly as possible. “There,” she spoke to herself when she found what she was looking for, but when she pulled up the page it asked her for a password.

 

Though she noticed a few of the letters the male officer had entered, there were plenty of others that she had missed. P-K-R-3-1-6, she typed in the numbers and letters she took notice of, but the words, “Invalid Password,” popped up. “What the hell can it be?” she ran both of her hands up the back of her now sweaty neck. “P…pk…pkr…Pecker 316?” She tried it and swallowed the lump in her throat when the words, “Invalid Password. One more attempt before account is locked.” She paced back and forth trying to fill in the missing letters when it hit her. Peeta hadn’t called them police; he called them something else entirely. With her heart in her throat and the echo of her pulse pounding in her ears, she carefully typed out each letter, P-E-A-C-E-K-E-E-P-E-R-3-1-6. She held her breath when the screen came to life and the map the officer pulled up was displayed before her.

 

“Holy shit. Holy shit,” she glanced around the room to make certain no one was watching. With a tentative finger she touched the first red dot and watched as one of the names from the list below moved to the top of the screen. In the blink of an eye, everything on Karen Everdeen’s life was staring Katniss in the face. “Oh my God,” she whispered harshly when she saw, not only a picture of the young girl, but her address, weight, eye color, blood type, DNA… The information and photos of the young girl’s life seemed endless. “This is crazy. Why on earth do they need all of this information on a kid?” Katniss said as she pounded repeatedly on the X in the corner of the screen.

 

The words “Are you sure you want to permanently delete Karen Everdeen from the system?” popped up.

 

“No! No. No,” Katniss sucked a breath in between her teeth and tried to minimize the late Karen Everdeen’s life and pull up the map again. “Back. Back-back-back-back,” she chanted until she found the correct button.

 

She stared at the screen for less than ten seconds before the thought hit her, _If they know all of that about a sixteen year old girl, then what do they know about me_? If her throat had been dry before, it was sandpaper now. Clicking on her name, she watched as her life filled the screen. Photos of her, ranging from kindergarten through the most recent photo ID she wore for work, were compiled in a file. Every medical treatment she had performed by a doctor, not her mother, was notated. All of her grades from school, a letter from her friend Madge’s father recommending her for employment at the New York State Capitol, and all of her ARMs information. The moment she saw her blood type, palm, retinal and DNA scans, she knew without a doubt that they had to go. She hit the X with great force several times and when the words, “Are you sure you want to permanently delete Katniss Everdeen from the system?” came up, she typed in YES without hesitation.

 

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as fear swept through her. She watched as page upon page of her life was deleted from the government’s system. For the briefest moment she felt as though she was prey being hunted, but unlike the animals she used to hunt with her father, Katniss knew how to cover her tracks.

 

She looked at the map and list of names once more, and when she was satisfied she was wiped out of the system, she logged out of the screen and wiped the history. With a cloth from her uniform pocket, she removed all traces of her fingerprints from the computer, the chair she sat on, and the desk she rested her palms against. There was no way this was getting traced back to her.

 

She waved her employee ID to gain access to the stairwell, but the only thing that happened was a loud buzz. When she did it a second time, she realized, not only had she wiped out who she was on that computer, but her place of employment would no longer recognize her. No one here really knew her. With the exception of that guy Thom she talked to, she never bothered to strike up conversations with her coworkers. Hell, even her supervisor called Katniss by her ID number. There was only one way out. Through the front door.

 

Katniss walked into the closest ladies room as though she were scheduled to clean it and tried her best to change her appearance. She tugged off her work top, and thanked God she wore a plain black shirt beneath it. She took her hair out of her braid, and fluffed it up around her face, then shoved her employee ID into her pocket. Though she didn’t look like she was one of the office workers at the Capitol, she no longer looked like a cleaning lady either.

 

Reminding herself to keep her head down and her hair in front of her face so the cameras in the elevator and at the entrance couldn’t recognize her, Katniss slipped out of the building and past the two white uniformed officers that had wanted to take her in for safety. For the briefest moment she considered their offer, but then she heard Peeta’s warning in the back of her mind, _“Of course, I’d trust a Peacekeeper about as much as a mutt.”_

 

Her mind seemed to be going into overdrive as she mentally went through the past day. _Peeta called them Peacekeepers. He knew about them. He knew about the dead women. It could have been him. But no. No. He was with her when the last girl was killed. Does he have a partner? Think about what he said to you. Think! He said someone was killing women with the first initial K and the last name Everdeen. Okay, maybe he had a friend that was a cop and shared the information with Peeta._ She had no clue why her subconscious was creating excuses for a complete stranger _. But he also referred to the police as Peacekeepers, and isn’t that what the guy’s password was?_

 

Katniss paused in her walking and pulled out the slip of paper the woman gave her that read, Effie Trinket, National Bureau of Investigation, Peacekeeper Division. “Holy shit!” Katniss dropped the slip of paper as though it singed her fingertips. _Okay, so Peeta knew about the Peacekeepers. What else did he say? He said he was from the future. That her daughter sent him back in time_. It was this thought that had Katniss shaking her head in regret. She screwed up royally. Not only by leaving her job without saying a word to anyone, but by deleting herself from the system. Now how the hell was she going to survive? That’s when the next thought struck her like a blow; _He said someone wiped you from the system_. “Oh my God. It was me.”

 

“Excuse me?” a man asked as he walked by her.

 

“Oh. Um…nothing.” Katniss glanced at her surroundings noticing she was still about two miles from home. She had to form a plan, but right now all she could concentrate on was how the hell she was going to feed herself, as well as her mother and sister, through the winter. Home. She had to go home. She could hunt; help her mother and sister with their healing. Winter always provided a steady flow of ill patients. The only question was how did she get back to West Virginia? She still had the vouchers she was going to send to her mother and Prim. She could get them, sell them off and make enough money to buy a ride back home.

 

Plans continued to form as she made her way back to her housing unit. Things could actually work out for the best if she went back home. She missed her family, and her best friend, Gale. Though he worked in the mines now, they could still go hunting on his time off and share their booty like when they were younger.

 

The gate on her housing unit refused to read her palm. Twice she had tried it, and she knew if she did it a third time an alarm would sound. Though the police alarm was disabled, the entry system was a completely different story. Katniss was locked out. Now what?

 

“Having trouble?”

 

Katniss wasn’t sure if she was terrified or relieved when she looked over her shoulder and saw Peeta standing there. “What do you want? Why can’t you leave me alone?” Angry, she decided, was her best option.

 

“I told you. I’m here to pro—“

 

“Protect me,” she interrupted. “Yeah. So you keep saying.”

 

“You’re home a little early, don’t you think? Did something happen at work?” He had been following her since the first night he got to Albany, so he knew that Peacekeepers had shown up at her job, and chuckled as he watched her slip by them with ease.

 

“No. Nothing happened,” she lied. “I just…didn’t feel well.”

 

“Hmmm,” he gave her an understanding nod and stepped up to her door. He was surprised when she didn’t jump away from him or threaten his life for getting too near. After hitting a few buttons on the palm scanner, the gate popped open. “There you go.”

 

“Thanks,” her appreciation came out as more of a grumble. What did she do now? Did she allow him back upstairs, or did she grab her personal belongings and high tail it out of there? She kept thinking of the warning those officers gave her. Was someone really after her? No. Not her. Just women with her last name and first initial. It was quite possible that Peeta was part of a team. Maybe his partner killed that other girl last night? Maybe this is what they did. Get close to their victims and then gut them. “I’ve got it from here,” Katniss closed the gate on him – not that it mattered since he could easily get past it – and headed upstairs.

 

Peeta would give her a couple of minutes to get to her unit before following her. He’d knock on her door and try another way of getting through to Katniss. Obviously the direct approach wasn’t working. He could try being friendly and ask her to accompany him, but he didn’t think that would go over too well. There was only one option; he’d have to stick close to her until the Mutt attacked. Though the idea of putting her in such danger turned his stomach, Peeta knew there was no way to determine what the Mutt looked like until it revealed its identity. The one thing he did know was that they were running out of time. By Peeta’s calculations, the mutt could have gotten to Albany early that morning.

 

Peeta glanced from side to side as he opened the lock on the gate. Checking over his shoulder one final time, he felt a tightening in his chest when he saw the man with a familiar face striding down the sidewalk with purpose. “It can’t be,” Peeta’s hands began to tremble. Taking two steps at a time, he pounded on Katniss’ door and began calling out to her. “Katniss! We have to go! Now!”

 

Katniss shoved the last bits of her personal belongings inside of her bag and took one last look around the room. She had spent the past year there and yet she had no problems fitting her life inside of her father’s old game bag. She didn’t even have anyone to say goodbye to. When she heard Peeta banging on her door and screaming at her, she knew she’d have to find a way to deal with him. Maybe she would call the police and let them handle him. What did she care if he got in trouble for those murders? It probably _was_ him and someone… Her thoughts came to a halt when Peeta busted through her door. “Are you crazy?!” Katniss shouted. “Oh wait. You _are_ crazy! You think you’re from the future!”

 

“Damn it, Katniss! We don’t have time for this. He’s coming!” Peeta dashed to the window to see how far away the Mutt was. “We have to go now!”

 

“I’m not going anywhere with—“ The shrill of the alarm went off, telling Katniss that someone had broken through the security gate.

 

“We’re too late,” Peeta opened the hallway door and quickly scanned the passageway. “Is there another way out of here?”

 

Screams and shouts came from the stairway, warning the intruder that he was trespassing, but it was the sound of gunfire that had the hair on the back of Katniss’ neck standing on edge. “There’s a fire escape down the…” her voice trailed off as more shots were fired and a high pitched squeal of pain quickly followed.

 

“We have to go, Katniss,” Peeta urged her, but she was frozen in place. “Katniss!” Another shot cried out, only closer this time. “Please, Katniss.” He held his hand out to her and pleaded, “Come with me if you want to live.”

 

She smacked her hand into Peeta’s palm and prayed that she wasn’t making a mistake.

 

~ ~ ~

 

 

 

 

 


	2. MUTTATION

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peeta and Katniss come face to face with the Mutt President Snow sent back to exterminate her. Now that they have the aide of Effie Trinket, will Katniss and Peeta be able to defeat the Mutt?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my wonderful editors and friends for correcting my errors (and there are usually a lot of them), keeping me inspired, talking through plot lines, figuring out timelines, and keeping me sane. These ladies have been a blessing to me: Ab (my person and pretty much the most amazeballs human being I know), Broadway Baby (Ruler of the universe. The line forms here to kiss her ring), T$ (my sister in all things Italian and Puerto Rican cooking), L (Brain the Overlord. I bow down to you.), Racy-T (The 8th dwarf who always makes me smile), and PBJ (Coffee Queen with the biggest heart). Thank you so very much, my darling girls. Having you all in my life gives me a sense of stability when my men (and dogs) drive me to the brink of insanity.

[](http://tinypic.com?ref=2pzza6v)

**MUTTATION**

His eyes scanned the surroundings, registering street addresses as he strode purposefully down the sidewalk, ignoring the terrified looks and gasps of fear.

 

The next destination on his list came into view. With a simple push of his hand, the locked gate opened and an alarm triggered, emitting a continuous shriek.

 

“Hey!” A man with hollowed cheeks called out. “You can’t come in here without—“ the man’s words died with a single bullet to his head.

 

“We’ve called the police!” a woman called from behind a crack in her door, but the intruder paid her no mind. He had a mission to achieve, and nothing would stand in his way.

 

He scrutinized the first floor of the housing development. Units 100 – 120 to the right, 121 – 140 to the left. His target was on the left.

 

Each person that attempted to deter him –man, woman or child – was silenced with a burst from his automatic weapon.

 

The Tribute he was programmed to eliminate was only one flight away. Once he had exterminated her, he’d move onto the next, Kiki Everdeen, in Des Moines, Iowa.

 

He would continue his mission until the last name on his list was terminated, and then he would achieve his goal. He would be a Victor at last.

 

~ ~ ~

 

The blood pulsing in Katniss’ ears was deafening as she clutched the bag with her personal belongings to her chest, and ran down the hallway towards the fire escape. From beneath his jacket, Peeta pulled out a sawed-off shotgun. For a moment, she feared he was going to use it on her, when he threw her against a door and yelled, “Stay there!” Katniss briefly considered giving Peeta the slip and facing the situation on her own, but it was Peeta’s determination to keep her safe and the explosion of an automatic weapon drawing closer that forced her to put her doubts aside and take her chances with him.

 

“Damn it,” Peeta tried to force the window open, but it refused to budge. Without hesitation, he broke the glass with the barrel of his rifle, then quickly turned to see the Mutt entering Katniss’ unit with a rapid burst of gunfire.

 

“Come on!” Peeta hauled Katniss by the arm and ushered her hurriedly out the window down the fire escape, quickly following her. “Don’t look back,” he ordered Katniss, but failed to follow his own advice. Glancing upward he saw the Mutt staring down at them and yelled, “Take cover,” just as the bullets rained in their direction.

 

With her heart pounding violently in her chest, Katniss jumped the last few feet from the fire escape, down to the sidewalk and began running towards the crowd of people rushing from her housing unit. Complete and utter chaos surrounded her, but her world felt as though it was both upside-down and moving in slow motion. From behind her, Peeta barked orders as the other man released a rapid round of gunfire. For one intense second her eyes locked with the killer’s. They were devoid of any emotion as he aimed his gun at her and fired; hitting the woman next to her instead. Katniss’ insides jumped as the injured woman, with blood oozing from her mouth, fell on top of her and knocked her to the ground. Pushing at the woman’s shoulders, Katniss struggled to get free of the dead weight. Suddenly, the image of her sister, Prim filled Katniss’ mind steeling her resolve. With a hard push, she got all but her lower legs free from beneath the woman.

 

“Come on!” Peeta screamed; yanking Katniss upward then pushing her out of the line of fire. “Move! Move!” He fired shot after shot at the Mutt, but these primitive weapons were no match for the futuristic killing machine. He had to get them out of there, and quick.

 

The car he had stolen earlier that morning was across the street. Grabbing Katniss and dragging her along with him, Peeta fired with one hand and pushed her towards the vehicle with the other. “The black one!” he yelled; hoping Katniss would understand and run to the black vehicle only a couple of yards away. Thankfully she went straight for it. Quickly catching up to her, Peeta opened the car door and pulled her down to take cover as he fired off the last of his ammunition at the same spot on the Mutt’s chest, temporarily weakening it.

 

Katniss watched as Peeta pumped round after round into the killer. The sound of approaching sirens, and the sight of the killer lying on the flat of his back in the middle of the sidewalk, brought a fleeting sense of relief to Katniss. Peeta had done it. He had killed the serial killer. Before the thought could fully register with her, she felt Peeta shoving her inside the car, and gripped at the upholstered seat with both hands.

 

She was about to argue with Peeta when she noticed movement coming from the man she thought he had killed. “That’s impossible,” she heard herself saying when the killer began shaking off Peeta’s shots as though they were nothing more than an inconvenience. “What the –“ her cry died in her throat when the killer stood up and narrowed his sights on her.

 

“Can you shoot?” Peeta asked as much as ordered. “Can you shoot!?” He hollered as he put the vehicle in reverse, but Katniss was fixated on the Mutt. Moving the car as fast as he could while going backwards, he tried to get her attention, “KATNISS!” Her eyes flickered towards him.. “Can you shoot?”

 

“Ye…yes,” her voice shook with terror as her eyes went back to the… “Mutt,” she said in a petrified whisper.

 

“There’s a weapon in the middle compartment,” Peeta called out while simultaneously whipping the car around and switching gears.

 

Katniss fumbled for the catch, then pulled the gun out of the center console. “Bow and arrow,” she mumbled as the gun weighed heavily in the palm of her hand.

 

“Give it to me.” When she just stared down at the weapon unmoving, Peeta snatched it from her, released the safety with one hand, and then gave it back to her. His eyes darted to the rearview mirror and he saw the Mutt gaining on them. “There’s a red light you can use to aim. Point it at him and squeeze the trigger,” he said urgently. “He’s behind us.”

 

There was no need for Peeta to tell her where the killer was, the entire car lurched forward when he jumped onto the trunk and his fingers dug into the metal as though it was made of clay. With shaky hands, Katniss lifted the gun and squeezed the trigger, missing the killer, but shattering the rear window. “There’s a police car behind us,” she called to Peeta. “If we pull over maybe they can help.”

 

“They can’t stop him,” Peeta was pushing the car to its limit, but the extra weight from the Mutt was slowing them down. “Shoot him!”

 

A red beam of light shone on the killer’s face as Katniss took aim, trying not to question what she was about to do. She had done this many times with game. How much different could a gun and a man be? This was her life at stake. The killer climbed up the back of the car; inching closer to the window. With the red light focused on the killer’s left eye, Katniss squeezed the trigger over and over again. Determined to empty her weapon into the killer, Katniss froze when his lackluster, blue eye burst from its socket and revealed a piercing beam of light within a bloodied, silver skull. “What the hell?!” Her breath was trapped within the walls of her chest as the killer stared her down with one red, mechanical eye, one blue eye, and held onto the car as though his life depended on it. It wasn’t until Peeta slammed the side of their car into a parked vehicle that the killer finally lost his grip and rolled to the ground.

 

Katniss stared at its limp form lying in the street and watched as the police car came to a halt next to the man. Knowing it would only be a matter of time before he got up, Katniss briefly wondered what would happen to the cop. “What the hell was that thing?”

 

“Muttation model one-zero-one. Mutt for short,” Peeta answered. He peeled around a corner and searched for a place to hide their vehicle. “We need a new car.”

 

Taking turn after turn in order to keep the Mutt off of their heels, Peeta explained as best as he could. “The six hundred series of Mutts weren’t hard to spot. Their skin looked like rubber. The next round looked more human – Snow used homegrown flesh for those. ‘Cybernetic organisms’ he called them, but they still didn’t fool us.” He glanced in her direction and noticed that she was unintentionally pointing her gun at him. “Mind aiming that the other way? Mutts can’t die from that gun, but I can.” He continued when Katniss pointed the barrel away from him. “We heard rumors about this last series of Muttations for a few years, but they were just rumors.  We had no clue how good they were until one got into our compound. They’re just like us. Sweat, blood, bad breath—“ He paused then said, “Hang on,” while taking a sharp turn. “If it hadn’t been for a few strays roaming the compound, the Mutt would have gotten a lot further than it did.” He glanced at Katniss, “Gotten to your daughter maybe.”

 

“Strays?”

 

“Cats…dogs…. They went crazy the second they smelled the Mutt.” Peeta remembered that day well. It was the day he lost something very precious to him. He could still see the Mutt, who looked like one of his fellow soldiers, infiltrating their hideout. “That’s when our suspicions were confirmed. President Snow was using human beings and altering them.”

 

“Like plastic surgery?” Katniss asked.

 

“It’s surgery, yes,” he answered seriously, “but they don’t use plastic. They replace the majority of the skeletal system with a hyperalloy combat chassis and insert a microprocessor in their brain. If you’re lucky, you can usually find a weak spot in the body. The chest…leg…arm, but you never know if you’ve hit it until you’ve actually caused the damage.”

 

“What about their organs?”

 

“Same thing. Most of them are replaced with Capitol engineered cybernetic organs, but if you’re lucky, you may be able to pierce a kidney, or a lung.”

 

“Why don’t they replace all of their organs?”

 

“Same reason they can’t replace the entire skeletal and nervous systems. Cybernetic nervous system don’t transmit as quickly as a human one does. They add the microprocessor to the brain instead of replacing it so it still thinks it  is  human. I’m not sure of the exact reason why, but our scientists know that a Mutt must maintain at least eighteen percent of their insides in order for it to maintain one hundred percent of their outsides. That’s why a Mutt’s required to have between twenty-eight and thirty-two percent of the human’s original internal body parts. This way if they get wounded in battle, they can still go on killing.”

 

Katniss tried to wrap her brain around Peeta’s explanation, but found it very difficult to do. “So on the outside they’re living, breathing flesh, but on the inside, they’re—“ she stared at him, dumbfounded.

 

“They’re practically indestructible,” Peeta answered. “Which makes them almost impossible to detect.”

 

“Impossible to detect,” she murmured his words as though she were attempting to fully digest them. “Wait,” Katniss remembered one of the things Peeta had said to her when she was certain he was crazy. Now she was pretty sure she was the one that had lost her mind. “That’s why you told me you should have waited till he attacked?”

 

“Yes, but,” if Peeta hadn’t lived through it himself, he wouldn’t have believed it, “I recognized this one from back home. I sort of knew him before the war.” That was all Peeta could afford to tell her at the moment for fear of opening up a whole new can of worms. “We need a different car,” he said, hoping she’d be able to tell him where to get one. “Finding one with a tracking system I could disable was harder than I thought. Any suggestions?”

 

“My job,” Katniss spoke quietly while trying to process everything that Peeta said.  “A couple of the workers have older cars parked there, and their shifts don’t end for several hours.”

 

Peeta slowed the car down and slipped onto a main strip with ease. “I’m not too sure that’s the wisest thing to do. He may track us there.”

 

“If you want an older car, it’s going to be your best bet. Almost all maintenance workers are on duty right now, and if they own a vehicle, it’s going to be parked at their job.” Katniss explained. “I work there, so we can get in and out.”

 

Though Peeta wasn’t thrilled with the idea, right now it was their best option. “Do you have your ID badge in that bag of yours?” He gestured towards the brown sack she had tucked behind her.

 

“Yeah,” she answered absently and then she remembered, “but it doesn’t work. I…uh…I deleted myself from the system today.” Their eyes locked. Hers were filled with a mixture of astonishment and perplexity and his with a spark of recognition and the slightest bit of satisfaction. 

 

“I take it you believe me now?”

 

“I…” she had no clue. “I don’t know. I mean, this all sounds impossible. Far-fetched.” But she had seen it, hadn’t she? Everything Peeta said had either happened or was happening around her. “You shot him,” her brow furrowed in disbelief, “and he…he just…stood up. Like it didn’t even hurt.”

 

“That’s because it didn’t. Oh, his microprocessor registered the injuries alright, but his nervous system…his brain…nothing.” From the first time Peeta came across the new Mutts, he knew Snow had finally created the ultimate monster.

 

Trying to digest all that had happened since Peeta’s arrival, Katniss began thinking of the stories he had told her about the murders, her information being deleted from the government’s system, and the unstoppable killing machine he called a Mutt. Had she not seen the Mutt’s red eye glowing inside of his silver skull, she’d have run straight to Effie Trinket for protection at this point. “Peeta,” Katniss could feel her chest tightening with concern as she asked, “do you think those Peacekeepers can stop the Mutt?”

 

“I doubt it. They don’t know what they’re dealing with, and if I explained it to them, they’d probably think I should be locked up or something.”

 

Peeta parked a few blocks away from the Capitol building, and was just about to get out of the car when Katniss placed her hand on his arm and asked nervously, “Can  you stop it?”

 

“With these weapons,” Peeta shook his head in regret and spoke doubtfully, “I don’t know.” With a determined look in his eyes he said, “But I won’t stop trying, Katniss. If there’s one thing you can be sure of, it’s that I’ll never stop protecting you.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

Standing across the street from Katniss’ job, they worked on a plan to infiltrate the parking structure.

 

“Can’t you just do that thing you did with the lock at my place?” Katniss asked. So far there didn’t seem to be much Peeta couldn’t do.

 

“Security here is complex, and I wasn’t educated in District Three, so I’m not sure how a lot of this technology works.”

 

“Right,” she had no clue where that was, and didn’t feel like delving into it. “So what do you suggest?”

 

“What we need is an active ID badge that’ll let us into the parking area.”

 

“Really? Why didn’t I think of that?” she gave her eyes a roll.

 

“We can’t stay here for long. If we’re noticed loitering by one of those people,” he gestured with his chin towards the government officials, “it’ll be trouble.”

 

“Then we’d better figure something out quick, because in about fifteen minutes that building will be closing up for the night, and those people will be swarming this area.” Her eyes darted from side to side as her mind began working at full speed. “Come with me.” Katniss gave Peeta’s arm a little tug as she walked towards the employee’s gated entrance. “This time of day may be quitting time for them, but for maintenance workers it’s known as break time. The higher ups don’t like mixing with us lowlifes so the government set up a mandatory break period.” She guided Peeta to the back of the state capitol. “Keep your head down, and look like you’re dreading going into that building.”

 

“I  am dreading going into that building,” Peeta flashed her a half grin when she scowled at him. Walking around the back of the building, Peeta expected Katniss to show him some secret entrance. Instead he saw a group of people in maintenance uniforms gathered in a gated area behind the building. Some were eating, others were in conversation, but most were just standing idly by looking worn out. “Are you crazy?” He yanked her backwards. “You shouldn’t be in a crowd. I might lose you.”

 

Tugging her arm free from his grip, Katniss spoke firmly, “It’s not like my coworkers are going to kill me, Peeta. Calm down.” She could see the harried expression on his face and put his mind slightly at ease. “I'll be fine. Besides, we need to get into that building.” Since she couldn’t get in earlier, Katniss wanted to get into the locker room now.

 

“We can get another car from somewhere else.”

 

“It’s not just the car. I need to get into my locker too. I’ve got some multipurpose vouchers in there that we can use right about now.”

 

Peeta pulled a thick wad of vouchers from his pocket and said, “Isn’t this enough?”

 

Katniss pressed them back into his pocket. If she had combined all the vouchers she earned with every one of her family members, it still wouldn’t have equaled the amount Peeta had. “Where did you get all that? On second thought, I’d rather not know.”

 

“Great, so let’s get out of here and find another vehicle.”

 

“Look, I’m getting us into that building,” she said firmly. “Now you can either come with me, or stay out here. I don’t care which.”

 

“Who cares if we get the car from here?” Peeta wasn’t having it. Sure they’d be on foot a little longer than he’d like, but he’d found one car, he could find another.

 

“It’s not just the car!” Katniss hated telling him the real reason she wanted to get back in there, but what choice did she have? “Look, I keep a picture of my dad in my locker and I want it back, okay?”

 

“Your dad?” The only thing Peeta knew about Katniss’ father was that he died early in her life. “I don’t know.”

 

“I’m going in there whether you like it or not,” Katniss was about to walk away.

 

“It means that much to you?”

 

“Yes,” she answered without hesitation.

 

“Fine. We get the picture and then we’re out of there.”

 

“Thank you,” Katniss expected Peeta to put up more of an argument, and was surprised when he readily agreed. “Over there,” she made motion towards her coworker Thom. “I know him. He may be able to help us. There’s just one thing,” and she was sure Peeta wasn’t going to agree with it. “You can’t come with me.”

 

“Now wait a minute,” Peeta began to argue.

 

“They have scanners that will pick up our weapons,” she slipped the gun she had been carrying in her bag to him before she forgot about it. “Besides, letting anyone inside of the building is a violation of policy. I’ll be lucky if he lets me in.”

 

Though the building had guards, Peeta still wasn’t comfortable letting Katniss out of his sight. “Katniss,” he spoke with a heavy heart, “I’m not crazy about this. At all.”

 

“I know, but I really want that picture. It’s…it’s the last family photo we took, and I don’t have much left from my dad,” she reluctantly admitted to him. “Plus, I may be able to sneak you into the parking structure once I’m inside.”

 

Certain that Peeta would be more concerned about getting a car than her being on her own, Katniss felt uneasy when he asked, “Your entire family is in the photo?”

 

“Yeah.” She could see the concern written in his expression and asked, “Why?”

 

“It’s just… Look, we can’t hang out here, Katniss. The Mutt could be on his way.”

 

“Why would he come here?”

 

“If I were tracking you, this is where I’d come,” Peeta shrugged. “Try to shake down your friends for information or something.”

 

“I don’t have any friends here,” she adjusted her bag on her shoulder. That’s when she read between the lines. “If he finds that picture of my family, he’ll go after them, won’t he?”

 

“That’s what I’d do.”

 

“My God, Peeta! Why didn’t you say something sooner?” She turned in a huff with Peeta walking quickly behind her.

 

“I didn’t think about it. My job is to protect—“

 

“I swear to God if you say that one more time, they’ll have to send a Mutt here to protect  you from  me ,” she snapped at him. Choosing to dismiss Peeta’s warnings, she searched out her coworker once again. “Thom,” she called with forced calmness until he took notice of her and walked over to the gate.

 

“Hey…uh…Katrina, right?”

 

Close enough , Katniss thought to herself. “Hey, listen, I…um…I left here earlier and forgot my ID badge in my locker. Do you think you could let me in so I can get it?”

 

“Uh…” Thom looked around as though management were listening into their conversation. “I could get in a lot of trouble for that.”

 

“I know.” Katniss pleaded, “I know, but they won’t find out. I’ll just grab it, and be on my way. It’ll be our secret,” she added at the last minute.

 

Thom gave Peeta a questioning look, then asked, “Who’s he?”

 

“Uh…my…uh...”

 

“I’m Peter, her boyfriend.” Though this was the first time Peeta ever touched Katniss with an intimate gesture, the placement of his hand on her back felt so natural to him, he didn’t notice when her spine stiffened beneath his touch.

 

“I can’t let him in,” Thom said in a serious tone.

 

“You won’t have to. He’ll just wait out here.” She turned to Peeta, leaned in as though she were giving him a kiss on the cheek, then whispered to him, “I’ll have to exit the front of the building. Meet me there.” Plastering on a fake smile she said, “Thanks, Thom. I appreciate it.”

 

Thom glanced over his shoulder several times before swiping his badge and letting Katniss in. “Come on,” he looked at his watch, “we’ve only got ten more minutes before the break is over.”

 

It took a while to get through the scanner and to the locker room. Once she was safely inside, she quickly relieved Thom of his duties. “Thanks. I can let myself out with my badge if you need to get back to work.”

 

“Yeah. Okay,” he paused in the doorway. “Hey, Katrina, you’re not going to tell anybody about this, are you?”

 

“No way,” she swore. “Besides, if I did, I’d get in more trouble than you.”

 

That seemed to appease him and a hint of a smile lifted at the corners of Thom’s lips. “See ya around.”

 

“Yeah. You too,” Katniss opened her locker and shoved her personal belongings into her bag. The second she slammed the door closed a piercing alarm rang out. For a moment she thought she had been discovered, but the muffled sound of gunfire had Katniss flattening her back against the cold wall of lockers. “He’s here,” she whispered her fears aloud and wished to God she had that gun Peeta had given to her earlier. Or better yet, her bow and arrow.

 

~ ~ ~

 

The Mutt pulled up to the Capitol building. Rushing across the street, Peeta was about to pull his rifle from beneath his coat, but the Mutt had already entered the building. Within seconds the alarms Katniss had warned Peeta about began blaring, and an emergency broadcast began playing over the loudspeakers. With the alarms already going off, and the guards going after the Mutt, Peeta slipped through the scanner without being stopped.

 

The few civilians in the lobby pushed past Peeta as he looked from side to side in search of a sign that would tell him where the employee locker room was located. When he found no such identifying markers, he grunted, and headed for the first door beneath the stairway sign. It flew open as a mixture of maintenance workers and government employees fled from danger.

 

Grabbing a worker by the arm, Peeta asked impatiently, “Where’s the locker room?”

 

“Down the stairs,” he answered, running for the exit.

 

Peeta had one advantage, he knew where Katniss was, at least he thought he knew, but it wouldn’t be long before the Mutt discovered her location too.

 

~ ~ ~

 

With nothing but her bare hands as weapons, and the sound of gunfire closing in on her location, Katniss did the only thing she could think of. She hid. Ducking behind a row of lockers, she listened as screams of pain, and shouts of terror, blended with the burst of bullets. Feeling like a sitting duck, she made the quick decision to get the hell out of there. If she could get to the front of the building, Peeta would help her. They could find a car and leave Albany for good. The question was, how did she escape without the Mutt killing her? Just as she decided to make a run for the stairs, bullets shredded the lock on the door.

 

The sound of her heavy breathing seemed to reverberate off of the walls of the empty locker room. Terrified of giving up her location to the Mutt, Katniss clutched her bag to her chest and kept perfectly still; telling herself this was no different than sitting in the woods during a hunt.  Except you’re the one being hunted , she thought to herself.

 

“Katniss!”

 

Peeta’s voice prompted her to jump up and run towards him. “I’m here.”

 

“Are you okay?” He did a quick visual check of her.

 

“I’m fine. I’m fine.”

 

Shoving a gun into her hand, Peeta double-checked to make sure his weapon was fully loaded. “Remember, point the red light and squeeze the trigger.”

 

“I remember,” taking a few deep cleansing breaths, Katniss called upon her hunter’s instincts to get her and Peeta out of there.

 

“What’s the quickest way to the parking area?” Peeta asked.

 

“Down the stairs,” she gestured with her chin towards the cracked door. “The support and maintenance staffs use P6 for parking.”

 

Before heading out the door he peeked through it and noticed the crowd of people herding down the steps. “Are there security cameras in the stairwells?”

 

“As far as I know, they’re only at the main entrance and the elevators.”

 

“Let’s hope so,” Peeta said it as though it were a prayer.

 

“Who gives a shit if security sees us on camera?” Katniss was quickly growing impatient. She wanted to get out of there immediately.

 

“He can tap into anything run by a computer, so if there are cameras in the stairwells…” his worried eyes met her surprised ones.

 

“We’ve got no choice, Peeta,” she swallowed the dry lump in her throat. “We can’t stay here.”

 

Slamming the locker room door closed, he took her by the upper arms and spoke with urgency, “Listen to me. I need you to do what I say, when I say it. If I tell you to take cover, take cover. If I tell you to run, then you run. No questions. Understand?”

 

Katniss gave him an unpleasant stare. “Fine.”

 

Once on the stairs, they heard a recorded voice blaring over the loudspeaker, “Please slowly make your way towards one of the emergency exits. Unauthorized use of elevators, which are reserved for high ranking personnel, will result in immediate imprisonment. Please slowly make your way towards…”

 

The stairwell was filled with people rushing up and down. Some headed to the parking area and others for the lobby.

 

“Peeta,” Katniss spoke in a hushed whisper and made a motion for him to hide his weapon so as not to attract the authorities.

 

Within seconds the crowd multiplied, and a line of white uniformed guards forced their way through the stairwell. Katniss could feel her back being crushed against a railing and called out Peeta’s name as he got swept down a few steps with the crowd.

 

“This is insane,” Peeta made his way back to her and held onto her arm so he wouldn’t lose her again. “Where are the elevators?” He had to get her out of here before the crowd alone killed her.

 

“There’s one just down the hall and through that door,” she motioned upwards, but the ten or twelve feet they’d have to travel seemed like a mile away.

 

“Stay with your back against mine.” Peeta spoke over his shoulder at her, “Keep your eyes on alert up there and I’ll watch our backs. Now go.”

 

“Peeta. We’re never going to make it out of here this way.” Already she could feel the bodies squashing her against the wall.

 

“Keep going!” He yelled above the racket. “You can do this, Katniss. Just a few more feet.”

 

She was done being nice. These people were literally putting her in a life or death situation, and she was done with it. “Move,” she shouldered her way past a couple of older men in suits, clearing a path for her and Peeta. “Out of my way,” she pushed past the last few people until she and Peeta were standing on the landing.

 

“Stay behind me at all times,” Peeta stood in front of her and kept his hand on his gun. Brandishing his weapon at the very last minute, he opened the door and checked the almost empty hallway for danger. “Clear.”

 

This wasn’t the first time Peeta had to face a Muttation, but it was the first time he had to do so with antiquated weapons and surrounded by ignorant civilians. Even children in his time knew how to take shelter, or arm themselves during a battle, but these people aimlessly followed the herd straight into the mouth of danger.

 

Pressing Katniss against the wall, and using his own body as a shield, Peeta summoned the elevator; hoping it would get them to safety quicker than the stairs. The ding announcing its arrival had him swiftly turning his rifle towards the opening doors and coming face to face with a Peacekeeper.

 

“Stand down,” the guard spoke with authority, “or I’ll shoot.”

 

Peeta stood frozen in his spot as the young female Peacekeeper continued to issue threats to him, warning him that she would cause him “bodily harm” if he failed to lower his weapon. He could hear Katniss talking back and forth with the woman, but their words were nothing more than muffled sounds echoing in his ears.

 

“...won’t hurt you,” Katniss said.

 

“Then tell him to put down the weapon,” the peacekeeper’s voice shrilled.

 

Peeta swallowed the lump in his throat and fought to control his emotions. “Eff…”  Though he had seen her only days before, the sight of her now made him feel as though someone had drained the blood from his whole body. “Effie?”

 

The female peacekeeper pursed her lips and gave Peeta a quizzical look. “Do I know you?”

 

Instead of answering, Peeta lunged towards her and took her into a full-bodied embrace, ignoring her shocked cry and words of warning.

 

“Unhand me, you fiend!” Effie could barely move with her arms pinned to her sides, but she tried to release herself from the lunatic’s grip.

 

“Peeta,” Katniss’ voice snapped him back to earth,, causing him to release Effie from his embrace. “We need to move. He’s getting closer,” Katniss could hear the sound of gunfire on the floor above them.

 

“Yeah,” Peeta swallowed once more, gave his head a quick shake in order to clear it, then yanked Katniss into the elevator before the doors closed.

 

“Young man,” Effie spoke sharply, “Who on earth do you think you are accosting? And I told you to put your weapon down!”

 

Get it together , Peeta thought to himself. “Sorry. No can do, Effie.”

 

“How do you know my name?”

 

Katniss looked between Effie and Peeta nervously then said, “I told him about you. That’s...uh...that’s why we’re here. I...um...I changed my mind about protective custody, and my...uh...boyfriend here,” she looped her arm around Peeta’s back, “has been keeping me safe until we got here.” She hoped that would be enough to put Effie’s mind at ease. “That’s why he’s got the gun, but he’ll put it down now,” Katniss grunted the last part of her sentence as she practically forced the barrel of Peeta’s gun towards the floor.

 

“I’ll need to confiscate that weapon.” Satisfied that the young man wasn’t actually pointing his gun at her, Effie spoke in a calmer tone, “If you’ll be kind enough to hand it over,” her words died when the ceiling of the elevator caved in.

 

“Don’t shoot until you’ve got something to take aim at,” Peeta warned both Katniss and Effie.

 

The repeated crunching sound above them continued until a bloodied hand reached through the metal ceiling. “My word,” Effie began reaching for her communication device on her belt.

 

“No” Peeta yelled at her. “Don’t call anyone.” If she did, they’d all wind up dead.

 

The hand disappeared and was replaced by eight fingers peeling back the metal ceiling. Peeta called out, “Shoot!”

 

“Put your weapons down immediately,” Effie ordered them while preparing to fire a warning shot at the young man.

 

“He’s trying to kill Katniss!” A bloodied hand punched through the ceiling; widening the opening by a couple of inches which was enough for the Mutt to see through.

 

Effie gasped as a menacing face with one red eye appeared through a small opening in the roof. She reached blindly for her communication device while Katniss and Peeta continued to shoot at him. “PK-Trinket, calling for backup on,” she glanced at the floor they were coming upon, “P-1. Suspect in elevator shaft.” She clicked it off then fired towards the ceiling when the barrel of a gun was stuck into the opening and began firing on them.

 

“Get down!” Peeta threw himself over both Katniss and Effie, causing the women to tumble to the floor then shot till the Mutt’s gun fell to the ground. When its face appeared again, Peeta emptied his rifle; blowing the flesh off of one side of its face. “Shit,” he tossed it to the ground and held his hand out, not surprised in the least when Katniss slapped her gun into it. The second the doors of the elevator opened in the parking structure, he yelled, “Get out! Now!”

 

Katniss jumped to her feet and took off running, only pausing once to see Peeta hauling Effie to her feet and throwing his body in front of hers when another round of bullets came shooting out at them.

 

“We’ve got to get Katniss out of here,” Peeta’s words to Effie came as rapid as the Mutt’s gunfire.

 

“I have a…a…” she was still staring at the elevator when its doors closed just as the maniac killer jumped into it. “That’s impossible,” her jaw dropped as her stomach clenched. “You shot that man in the head but he’s—“

 

Peeta shook Effie once by her upper shoulders. “Get it together, Effie. We need you. Do you have a car here? We’ve got to get Katniss to safety.”

 

“Yes,” her head whipped from side to side. “It’s there,” she pointed towards a specially designed, all white vehicle.

 

“Katniss,” Peeta expected her to be running towards the exit like he told her to. Instead she was standing a few feet behind them. Trying not to let his anger with her take over, he grabbed both women by their arms and dragged them towards Effie’s car. “Starter,” he demanded of Effie.

 

Without overthinking the situation, Effie waved her hand over the door’s lock and spoke to the car, “Activate ignition.”

 

“In,” Peeta practically threw Katniss into the backseat, and glared at Effie. “I’m driving.” Thankfully the woman didn’t argue with him and got in the passenger’s side.

 

Peeling out of the parking lot, Peeta glanced in the rearview mirror and saw a mixture of local police and Peacekeepers gathering on foot and doing a visual search for the Mutt, and probably Effie as well. “Can you deactivate the tracking in this vehicle?” he asked a flabbergasted Effie. “Hey,” he snapped his fingers in front of her face to get her attention. “Stay with me here.”

 

“Peeta, we’ve got company,” Katniss spoke in a low voice about the police car behind them.

 

“Get down,” his voice was harsh and demanding, then he directed his attention back to Effie. “The tracking. Disable it.”

 

“How did that man—“

 

“He’s not a man,” Peeta interrupted. “He’s a machine.”

 

“No. No,” Effie gave her head a shake. “That’s impossible.”

 

“You saw it with your own two eyes,” Katniss said, but still found it difficult to believe. “You think a human being could withstand that kind of gunfire? That their skulls are shiny and silver?”

 

Effie knew Katniss was right. What she saw was not human. “But that’s simply not possible.”

 

Peeta could hear the sound of their location over the communication system in the car and knew the police cars behind him would be multiplied by ten at any moment. “Damn it, Nugget. Disengage the tracking system so I can lose these assholes.”

 

“Wh…what did you call me?” Effie began giving off little pants.

 

“Turn off the tracking and I’ll tell you what’s going on,” he waited a beat then added, “Nugget.” Peeta hoped to God young Effie would be as open-minded as older Effie was.

 

After a moment’s hesitation, Effie agreed. Pushing several buttons on the console, she spoke to the vehicle’s computerized system, “Computer, activate stealth mode.”

 

The lights on the console dimmed, and Peeta noticed the steering on the vehicle had become a little more rigid. “It’s completely manual now?”

 

“Yes,” Effie answered.

 

“Then hold on,” he gave Katniss a quick look in the rearview mirror then whipped the car around corner after corner. He zigged in and out of traffic, behind buildings, and finally lost the police vehicles by ducking into an alleyway.

 

With the car at a full stop, Effie took the opportunity to assess the situation and get some much needed questions answered. “Young man, I insist you explain what that…that…thing was, and why you called me Nugget.”

 

“That was the serial killer you warned me about,” Katniss said shooting a look of warning towards Peeta. He was right. There was no way on earth this woman was going to believe his story. Katniss still wasn’t sure she believed it herself.

 

Taking stock of their surroundings, Peeta let out a breath and said, “I’ll tell you, but we’ve got to get Katniss as far away from here as possible.”

 

“I’m not sure that’s the wisest thing to do. Right now there are police, and Peacekeepers, swarming this city looking for you,” Effie said. “You did kidnap an officer of the law, you know.”

 

“As I recall, you got into this vehicle willingly,” Katniss smirked in Effie’s direction and didn’t bat an eye when the woman glared at her in response.

 

“What’s the best way out of here without attracting too much attention?” Peeta asked, disrupting the battle of wills between the two women.

 

Effie pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes as though she were deciding on whether or not to trust him. He could have killed her in the elevator, yet he saved her life instead. Twice by her count. “We’ll have to take a few back roads,” she gave him the directions then listened intently as Peeta wove a tale so horrifying about their country’s future, Effie felt sick to her stomach and refused to believe any of it. She listened as Peeta told her about the Mutt, as he called it, that traveled back to the past, about the Asian flu the government created, and about the man she knew as Senator Coriolanus Snow. Several times during Peeta’s explanations, Effie insisted that he turn around but refrained from calling him insane to his face. It wasn’t until Peeta told her about the Hunger Games, and her role in them, that she finally believed his story.

 

“The day I was reaped, it was you that pulled my name from the bowl,” he said to Effie. Giving a quick glance in Katniss’ direction, Peeta expected her to be disgusted when she found out he was a Victor, but her expression held pity. “That day on the train, I went with you and Sarah—“

 

“Who’s Sarah?” Katniss asked.

 

“Your daughter,” Peeta watched as a hint of a smile curled the corner of her lip, “and one of the mentors for my Games.”

 

“At least now I know what to name her,” Katniss leaned forward in her seat and listened with interest to Peeta.

 

“Anyway, I went with you and Sarah to my quarters,” he directed his words to Effie, “and the moment we were alone, you wrapped your arms around me and hugged me so tight, I thought you were crazy.”

 

“I know the feeling,” Effie gave Peeta a scolding look which he brushed off.

 

“Then you sat down next to me, and told me about your first nanny, Beatrice.” Peeta didn’t even have to look at Katniss or Effie to know they were waiting on pins and needles for the rest of the explanation. “You said, whenever you were in private, she’d call you her little golden nugget, because of the way your blond hair shone.”

 

“Is that true?” Katniss asked Effie. “What he said about your nanny?”

 

“Yes,” Effie was in a complete state of shock, “but I’ve never told anyone about her pet name for me. It would have enraged my parents, and she would have lost her position.”

 

“That’s exactly what you told me,” Peeta kept his eyes on the deserted road ahead of him. “At the time I didn’t understand why you’d tell me something so personal.”

 

Effie sat upright and glanced at Katniss who was staring at Peeta curiously, “I suppose now we know why.”

 

Peeta flashed Effie a grin. “I guess we do.”

 

It didn’t take a genius to figure out there was more to Effie and Peeta’s relationship than he was letting on, but Katniss wasn’t about to delve into it…yet. “How soon till we cross state lines?” she asked.

 

“Ten or twelve miles,” Effie answered as though she were prepared to make the journey with them.

 

“Then we better pull over in that town up ahead, and find another mode of transportation,” Peeta suggested. “You’re going to need to get back to Albany, Effie.”

 

“But I can be of service to you,” she said in a bewildered tone.

 

“You’ll be more help going back to your job, and living the life you’re supposed to.” Before she could argue with him, Peeta placed his hand over hers and gave it a squeeze. “I’m going to need you in about twenty-six years, Effie. I’m counting on you to get me out of that arena alive, so don’t let me down now.”

 

“Yes,” Effie spoke regrettably. “I suppose you will.”

 

“There’s just one more thing,” Peeta hoped he wasn’t altering their futures when he asked. “Do you have a way of getting your hands on some NiteLOX?”

 

“What the hell is that?” Katniss had never heard of it before.

 

“It’s a stable liquid explosive we’re working on in the Peacekeeper division,” Effie answered. “However, it’s top secret. How do you know—“ She pursed her lips when Peeta gave her a sly smile. “Forget I even asked.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

With a plan formed, Effie prepared to leave Katniss and Peeta at the agreed upon location. “The trains leaving these depots are for supplies only. You’ll want to take the train marked with the large P on the last car and get off in three stops. They’ll expect you to take the train to the largest hub in Pennsylvania—more escape options,” Effie was thinking like a Peacekeeper. “Instead, you will be in a small, mountainside town. With enough vouchers, you should be able to find another mode of transportation there.”

 

“Large P, three stops. Got it.” Katniss checked over her belongings, adjusting the strap of her bag over her shoulder.

 

“Now, if I’m to send the NiteLOX to your hometown, it will have to be picked up from a delivery center,” Effie stated a fact neither Katniss nor Peeta had thought of. “Since it will be impossible for either of you to enter one, is there someone you can trust to do that for you?”

 

“Katniss?” Peeta turned to her.

 

“Yeah. There’s someone I can trust.” She hated to get her friend Gale involved, but what choice did she have? Neither she nor Peeta had any forms of ID. “There’s no way anyone will detect what’s inside of it, right?” Katniss had to make certain that Gale was oblivious to the package’s contents.

 

“No dear,” Effie answered. “We have ways of disguising things like that.” The government’s ingenuity when it came to matters of secrecy had always been something Effie had taken pride in, but after hearing Peeta’s story, and seeing the Muttation with her own two eyes, it failed to bring her the same feeling of satisfaction. Opening the rear of her vehicle, she said, “Here you are.” She handed Peeta the spare weapons they kept in case .of an emergency.

 

“Effie, are you sure about this?” Peeta asked before taking the guns from her.

 

“I’m positive,” she stood firm.

 

With a nod of his head, Peeta said, “Then I guess this is goodbye.”

 

There was a sadness in Peeta’s voice which made Katniss wonder about the relationship between them again. It wasn’t until Peeta stepped forward and took Effie into his arms, that Katniss suspected the truth about them.

 

The back of Peeta’s nose felt as though it was on fire, and tears were building up in his eyes as he held onto Effie one last time. “Effie, thank you for everything. What you did today. What you do for me during the Games.” His voice began to crack, “Everything.”

 

“No need for gratitude,” Effie couldn’t explain the closeness she felt to this boy that had been a stranger to her only hours earlier, yet from the moment he called her Nugget, she felt a bond with him. “We shall see one another again,” she said in a comforting tone as she hugged him back. “Now,” she cleared her throat in the hopes to hide her emotions, “it’s time.”

 

Katniss stood back and watched as Peeta held the butt of a gun in his trembling hands. She could tell there was no way he was going to do what they agreed upon. “Well?” she asked impatiently.

 

“I can’t,” Peeta let the gun drop to his side and hung his head.

 

“Well, I can,” Katniss grabbed the gun from him and whacked Effie in the side of the head causing her to lose consciousness. Ignoring Peeta’s expression of displeasure she said, “We need to get a move on,” and tossed his gun back to him.

 

After checking to make sure Effie was still alive, Peeta took a few long strides to catch up to Katniss. “We could have just tied her up or something.”

 

“They wouldn’t have bought it.”

 

“They might have,” Peeta argued.

 

“Enough,” Katniss stopped in her tracks. “Ever since we ran into that woman you’ve been acting like…like you’re in love with her or something.” Not that Katniss cared, but it really did piss her off to see him fawning over Effie Trinket.

 

“I have not,” Peeta stepped closer to her.

 

“I’d trust a Peacekeeper as much as a Mutt,” she said in a mocking impersonation of Peeta.

 

“Effie’s different, okay?”

 

“Why? Because she yanked your name out of a ball and threw you into that hell hole?” Katniss was now standing nose to nose with Peeta as her voice raised.

 

“She saved my life!”

 

“Big deal,” Katniss threw back at him. “You saved mine, but I’m not acting like an idiot in love!” She said, even though her actions were proving otherwise. “I’m not even sure if I like you or not.”

 

Taking a step back, Peeta blew out a calming breath and said in a low tone, “You’ve made that abundantly clear, Katniss. We better hit the road or we might miss the train.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

Sneaking on and off the train had been easier than expected. With Effie’s warning still firmly in their minds, they weighed their options for the night. Though Katniss told him she wanted to get back home as quickly as possible, both of their bodies were about to give out.

 

“How do you feel about camping?” Katniss asked as she took notice of the wooded area surrounding the small town they were in.

 

“That’s fine,” Peeta agreed when he saw how drained Katniss looked.

 

“Think we should go into town and buy some supplies first?” Though she hated to admit any form of weakness, Katniss was starving.

 

“Can’t risk it,” Peeta headed towards the dense woods. “They’ve probably found Effie by now, and if they have, our faces are going to be plastered on every television set across Panem.”

 

Peeta had referred to Panem and the districts so often that Katniss hadn’t bothered to correct him any longer. “I may be able to figure out dinner, but you’ll have to look for fresh water or we’re going to get dehydrated.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

Peeta had luck finding a mountain stream nearby, but Katniss’ attempt to make a snare out of some rubbery twigs fell flat. It wasn’t until she noticed the laces in Peeta’s boots that she came up with the idea of using them in conjunction with the twigs to create a trap. Within a couple of hours their bellies were no longer rumbling, and they were huddled by a small fire trying to keep warm. Unfortunately her mind wouldn’t stop racing, regardless of how drained her body was.

 

“Peeta? Are you asleep?”

 

“No.”

 

“Talk to me,” she closed her eyes hoping that his voice could calm her frazzled mind.

 

“About what?”

 

“Well, you could tell me the truth about you and Effie.” Katniss turned to face him expecting to see frustration, but there was an ache in Peeta’s eyes that tore at her. Trying to lighten the mood, she said, “It’s okay if you were more than just friends. I mean, if you’re into older women, that’s your business. No judgement here,” she gave him a smirk and felt relief when he sniffed out a bit of laughter.

 

The lighter mood was short lived when Peeta thought about his former escort and dear friend, Effie Trinket. Seeing her today was unexpected, and their instant comraderie had him missing her more than he was able to explain. “Mind if we don’t talk about her, Katniss?”

 

Studying his features for a minute and seeing how distraught he looked, she said, “How about Sarah then? Can you tell me about her?”

 

“Sure,” Peeta rested his head against his arm and thought about the leader of the rebellion. “Sarah Connor is a legend.”

 

“Connor?”

 

“Yeah,” Peeta said with a shrug of his shoulder. “She never said, but I assume it was your husband’s last name.”

 

“Oh,” Katniss hadn’t expected to hear that. She’d never met anyone with the last name Connor in her life, and if it were up to her, she’d never be bound to a man. “So I get married?”

 

“Sarah said that it wasn’t a fancy wedding or anything. No one was even there, but you and her father.” After a moment’s thought he added, “An official too, maybe. According to Sarah, you never wanted to get married, but when you met her father, you couldn’t imagine your life without him.”

 

“That doesn’t really sound like me,” Katniss said dryly. “I’m not a big fan of marriage.”

 

“Why not?”

 

She was quietly contemplating how to explain her feelings. Telling Peeta about her mother’s deep depression after her father had been killed, or how she and her sister Prim had almost starved to death wasn’t a topic Katniss was comfortable discussing. “Because I’ve seen what the loss of a spouse can do to a person, and I never want to go through that.”

 

“Losing someone you love, whether or not you’re married, is devastating. I don’t think making a few vows will change the amount of pain a person goes through from death, but they could make a world of difference to life.”

 

“I don’t plan on ever falling in love.”

 

“I can tell you for a fact that your plans and what actually happens are light years apart,” Peeta rubbed her arms when she shivered.

 

“Guess that’s just something I’ll have to take your word on.”

 

They were quiet for a few seconds before Peeta continued. “She’s about your height, with long, wavy hair.” He looked down at Katniss, “Maybe about a shade or so lighter than yours.” When Katniss’ eyes met his, Peeta could feel his heart race. “She’s got the same fire in her eyes as you do. She doesn’t smile too often, but when she does, she’s as radiant as the sun. She’s got this inner strength that makes you want to fight for her.” He paused, “I think she gets that from you.” He could feel Katniss relaxing in his arms and wished he was able to tell her more about the future, but there were some things that were better left unsaid. “I’d die for Sarah Connor.”

 

“Do you always talk about women like you’re in love with them?” Katniss couldn’t believe how much he wore his heart on his sleeve.

 

“Just because I speak highly of a woman, doesn’t mean I’m in love with her,” Peeta countered.

 

Katniss considered his point, and came to the conclusion that not only was Peeta Mellark brave, he was genuine and kind as well. “Fair enough,” she said as though she had made the decision to trust in his admirable qualities.

 

They listened to the night sounds: crickets quietly chirping, and the occasional hoot of an owl. Beside them, the small fire was crackling, and thoughts of Peeta’s Games were fresh in his mind.

 

“Effie Trinket rose within the ranks of the Capitol fairly quickly after Panem was formed,” Peeta spoke softly about his past. “When the Games began, she was offered the position of Escort.” Without waiting for Katniss to ask, he told her of Effie’s duties. “She was responsible for both Tributes from her district. Making sure they were on schedule, helping to sell them to the sponsors—“

 

Now that he was opening up about Effie, Katniss hated to interrupt him, but she was curious, “What’s a sponsor?”

 

“They are exceptionally wealthy Capitol residents. During the Games, it’s the mentor’s job to line up gifts from them – supplies while you’re in the Games – but it’s the Escorts job to make sure everyone else is doing theirs. She also pulls the names from the reaping ball on Reaping Day. One boy. One girl.” Peeta thought about the day Effie read his name aloud. “I met Effie Trinket after she pulled my name. I was sixteen, and scared to death. I knew I didn’t have a chance at winning those Games. For the most part, the Tributes from Districts One, Two and Four won. We called them Careers.” Peeta gave it a moment before deciding to tell Katniss the truth. “That’s how I knew Cato.” He could feel her questioning stare. “The Mutt.”

 

Katniss shot upright from her lying position. “You mean they use Tributes as Mutts if they lose?”

 

“Not always.” There was an ache in Peeta’s chest when he said, “The first Mutt of this new series that I came across was actually one of our soldiers who had gone missing months earlier. That’s why he was able to get into camp so easily.”

 

“My God,” Katniss lay her head against Peeta’s chest and felt a strange sense of comfort when he wrapped his arms around her.

 

Peeta considered where to pick up his story and chose a very painful point in his life, “My mother wasn’t the warmest person. In fact, my entire life I was sure she hated me.” He cleared his throat a little. “I used to think smacking me around as a kid was her favorite pastime.”

 

As much anger as Katniss had towards her mother, the one thing her mom never did was raise a hand to her.  What a witch , Katniss thought to herself about Peeta’s mother.

 

“I never really experienced that unconditional love moms have for their kids. Not until I met Effie.” Peeta could see their first private meeting as clear as day. “When we were in my quarters on the tribute train, and she hugged me, my first thought really was to question her sanity, but after a few seconds I realized how wonderful it felt to be cared about like that even if she was a complete stranger to me.” He thought about it for a moment then said, “I guess in a way you were right. I do love Effie.”

 

The pang of disappointment in her chest surprised Katniss. “I figured you were in love with her.”

 

“No,” Peeta corrected. “Not in love, but I do love her.” Peeta shuffled himself until he was able to look Katniss in the eyes. “Effie Trinket was the closest thing to a mother I’ve ever known. Without her, I’d be dead.”

 

Katniss could feel a twinge of anger bubbling up. “I get that she saved your life in the arena, but did it ever occur to you that she put you there in the first place?”

 

“She did her job. If it hadn’t been her, then someone else would have done it,” Peeta said defensively. “Effie wasn’t just an escort, Katniss. She was a rebel spy.” The look of shock on Katniss’ face was almost enough to make Peeta laugh. “By being an escort for District Twelve, Effie was able to pass sensitive information to Sarah. When things got really bad in our district, she’d smuggle in medicine, food, anything she could get her hands on, and then—“ Peeta wasn’t sure if he could go on.

 

From the tears in Peeta’s eyes, Katniss could tell Effie’s outcome hadn’t been the greatest. “What happened to her, Peeta? Did they discover that she was a spy?”

 

“Eventually they figured it out,” he backhanded the tears from his eyes before they dripped down his cheeks. “By then we were at war and Effie was living with the rebels.”

 

“So she made it to safety then.”

 

“I wouldn’t exactly call it a safe haven, but yeah, she got out of the Capitol, and then joined the war as a foot soldier.” Peeta thought of the last time he saw Soldier Trinket. “It took a while, but the rebels got control over the districts, and all that was left was the Capitol. It took months, but we did it. We won the war. There were still a few die hard soldiers fighting for the Capitol who didn’t put their weapons down when Snow called for the cease fire. Even though he surrendered, he still had an ace up his sleeve.”

 

“The Mutt,” Katniss said.

 

“Mmm hmmm. Effie knew about it. We knew the time, the place, all we had to do was get there, but Snow still had men stationed around his compound. We had finally gotten inside, but it was too late. Snow’s man, Seneca Crane, had already sent the Mutt here.” Peeta got a far off look in his eyes as he spoke, “We couldn’t kill Crane, because we needed him alive to operate the computer. A couple of men took hold of him while I was getting ready to enter the time displacement chamber, but Crane broke free and pulled a gun from inside of his sleeve.”

 

Katniss was afraid of what Peeta would say next.

 

“He shot directly at me, but Effie…” Peeta’s voice began to crack, “Effie jumped in front of me.”

 

Katniss could feel the pain radiating from the deepest part of his soul, and wiped at the tears dripping down his face.

 

“She saved my life. Again.” This was the first time Peeta had been able to grieve for Effie, and he felt as though someone had ripped his heart from his chest. “One of the other soldiers knocked Crane unconscious, and Sarah swore she’d take care of Effie, but I could see how much blood was coming out of her. There was no way she was going to survive that blast.”

 

The day Katniss met Effie Trinket she took an instant dislike to the overly made-up woman. In fact, Katniss thought Effie had an air of superiority about her and momentarily wondered what a woman like that was doing working as an officer of the law. The picture Peeta painted of Effie Trinket was a complete contradiction to the “painted” version Katniss had met at her job. The woman that helped her and Peeta that day, and the person that would eventually risk her life for the people in the districts was someone Katniss could respect.

 

They lay there silently with only the sound of Peeta’s sniffles, and the occasional hiccup in his chest for several long minutes.

 

Hating that she caused Peeta to relieve such a painful experience, Katniss hoped to ease his pain and put his mind on other things. “What was traveling through time like?” she asked.

 

“You have to go through naked. It won’t send back any foreign matter like weapons, which is why it’s so important for the Muttations to be covered in human flesh.” He thought of his experience and explained the best he could, “It’s like being born almost. There’s pain, a bright light, and then you’re in a new world.”

 

As the fire crackled beside them, Katniss could sense that Peeta’s thoughts were miles away. “She could still be alive,” Katniss said encouragingly. “I mean, it’s possible, right?”

 

“I doubt it,” Peeta could still see his escort, his friend, lying in a pool of her own blood.

 

“But you don’t know for certain,” Katniss stated. “I bet you anything Sarah got her the help she needed and Effie’s sitting in some hospital room with her hair coiled up on her head, and batting her false eye lashes at some doctor.”

 

“Maybe,” he tried to sound convinced. “I know Sarah would move mountains to save Effie’s life, so maybe you are right, Katniss. At least, I hope you are. Those two women mean the world to me.”

 

Katniss toyed with a loose string at the end of her shirt and confided in Peeta, “Other than my sister, Prim, I don’t think I’ve ever spoken about anyone the way you talk about Effie and Sarah.”

 

“Never?” Peeta found that hard to believe.

 

“When my dad was alive I may have, but not anymore.”

 

“How old were you when he died?” Peeta waited for what seemed like minutes before Katniss began telling him about the mine explosion that took her father’s life when she was only eleven years old, and how her mother couldn’t face life without him. Had it not been for Prim’s ability to create herbal compounds, and Katniss’ ability to hunt, her family would have starved to death.

 

“The coal mining company gave us sixty days to find a new place to live,” Katniss told him, “but my mother could barely get out of bed let alone find us a new home.”

 

“What did you do?”

 

“I made the man in charge of the mines think my mother was fine, and delivered a burn balm to him for his wife.” She gave her shoulder a shrug. “Then I mentioned that it would be sad to leave all the miners and their families to fend for themselves since the closest doctors were thirty miles away. I guess he agreed with me, because the next day he sent word that he got approval for my mother to stay on as their medic.”

 

Peeta chuckled, “Pretty ingenious for an eleven year old.”

 

“I guess so.” Thinking back on it, Katniss could remember how terrified she had been that day. They had only seventy-two hours to leave their home, and feared that the state would come and take  her and Prim to a government run facility if they discovered the truth about her mother. “I did what I had to do,” she spoke her thoughts quietly out loud.

 

“I knew Sarah had your strength. You taught her well, Katniss.” Peeta yawned and stretched. “We should try to get some sleep. The sun will be up in a couple of hours and we’ll have to head out at first light.”

 

With a small nod, Katniss agreed and rested her head against the center of Peeta’s chest.  For the warmth , she thought to herself, but she hadn’t felt so comforted and secure since her father was alive.

 

“Katniss, thanks for letting me talk about Effie. It helped,” Peeta held her a little tighter and relished the feeling of her body pressing against his. “G’night, Katniss.”

 

“Goodnight, Peeta.” She lay with her eyes closed and released a sigh when the warmth of his hand seeped through her skin, and he carelessly brushed his fingers back and forth against her brow. Her last coherent thought was,  I think Prim will like Peeta .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A special thank you to Any, creator of the awesome banner for this story.
> 
> Follow me on tumblr. I'm jamiesommers23

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on tumblr I'm jamiesommers23
> 
> A special thank you to Any (loving-mellark on tumblr) for creating the awesome banner for this story. It can be viewed on my tumblr blog. Thank you darling!


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